Wheatley Hill Auxiliary Unit
Patrol

This page
was last updated at 6:30pm on 1/1/16

Thank you for selecting information on the Wheatley Hill Auxiliary Unit Patrol
and their Operational Base in County Durham. The info and images below have been supplied by CART's
Northumberland CIO Stephen Lewins and a donation from Grant Holland.

Mrs Joan Scott, a member of Wheatley Hill History Club Committee remembers her mother saying that Joan’s Grandfather was a member of the Secret seven during the war, and no one believed her - He was infect Cpl Barron mentioned above.

“Its is possible that the 184th Special Tunnelling Group may have been billeted in Wheatley Hill and during this time constructed several OB's in the Immediate Area."

"An internal memo (marked SECRET) dated 10 October 1942 exisits in the Units war diary to the effect that a ‘Sketch plan’ was found in a house called Valdigarth in Granville Terrace. This was released to be a sensitive document and was handed in to Headquarters Durham Police. “.

The above information above was passed provided by Mark Smith of Thorpe Thewles History Group.

Valdigarth was owned by the Local Doctor Dr Mclean. The document was found on renovation of the house.

Information on the location of the Operational Base (OB) based on map information is that it was located in the Wilkinson Estate, near or on the woodsman Cottage in the Plantation.

The patrols went to Danby Lodge and Castle Howard for training. They also used Finchale Woods near Durham City.

Cobblers Quarry. Just off the main road after Elmore Hall.
Information suggest this was used by the military for training, it is close proximity to both Haswell Patrol which is also in the Woods of the Hall‘s Grounds, Hetton and Wheatley Hill Patrols.

Elmore Hall.

Elmore Hall is a large stately home (1749) which was once owned by the Baker family and was last lived in 1930 - it was sold to Durham County Council in 1947. It is now a private school.

Unknown, but it is assumed that they would have access to the “standard” Auxiliary weapons of a Browning Automatic Rifle, a Thompson
Machine Gun and two Enfield rifles.